October 6th, 1888 — Random Muggle Pub, Norfolk, Virgina
Jupiter Smith

Once a year, Zach embarked on a longer overseas trip to visit colleagues and gather new, unique stock. The year before had brought him to Japan; this year he found himself in the Americas. It was a much more involved venture than his usual, about every two or three months, errands he conducted around Europe. This particular journey was about to draw to a close. He was meant to catch a ship back to England in the morning.

The muggle pub he found himself sitting in was unremarkable. The tables were packed with sailors, and whom he surmised to be regulars. Their boisterous chatter and pipe smoke enveloped him as soon as he wandered through the door. It was a dimly lit sort of establishment that gave it a dirty sort of feel, even though it was decidedly clean. It seemed like an odd choice when there were much nicer looking places to have a meal, including the small area that served food at his hotel. It had been the delightful aromas of well seasoned and delicious cooking that had seen him down the street and straight through the door.

Zachariah navigated his way between the packed tables and zoned in on a space at the end of the bar. It would have to do if he was to eat there. His only neighbor was the wall and a young woman whom he smiled at, friendly.

"Is this seat taken?" His accent was decidedly that of a middle class Londoner, even though he'd been a resident of Scotland for the past ten years.

  

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Pretties thanks to Olive! <3

Journeying from Greece to Venezuela was bittersweet for the exhausted archaeologist. On one hand, she was overjoyed to be working with her former team, as they always functioned well together, but leaving Athens had broken her heart. The once hub of philosophy had woven its way through her heart in a way the jungle never would. However, now that the original junior archaeologist had recovered there was no longer a need for her.

She would be lying if she said the gentle dismissal hadn't stung.

Jo sat in the muggle pub, a plate of steaming food untouched before her and a half-finished glass of whiskey. Saturn had abandoned her earlier in the evening after a flash of inspiration struck. This wasn't to say she minded being alone — quite the opposite, in fact, after nearly two weeks of having him glued to her side she was ready to scream. Saturn's excitement for a new adventure was a bit much even for her tastes sometimes.

A handsome man approached her, and she was near ready to tell him to sod off when the familiarity of his accent gave her pause. "No, please join me," Jo replied easily as she gestured to the open chair, her own middle class London accent righting through with every word. "You're a long way from home."

  

An easy grin grew on his face upon recognizing her accent. While he didn't mind Americans, it was much more comfortable to converse with someone who came from his home country. "As are you." It seemed he wasn't the only one who had decided to embark on an adventure.

Zach appeared relieved that the seat wasn't taken. He would have been incredibly disappointed if he couldn't sample such delicious smelling food, especially since his stomach had finally recovered from portkey travel earlier that morning. Removing his hat, he placed it off to his right before settling in on the stool next to her. "Thank you. This is quite a popular place, but the cooking smells divine."

Now that he was closer, he was able to see the young woman more clearly; her eyes were most striking. With a polite smile, he sought to introduce himself. "Zachariah Binns. And whose company do I have the pleasure of being in?"

  

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Pretties thanks to Olive! <3

"The sailors convinced the captain to dock here instead of further south so they could eat here," she replied easily. Her own untouched plate a food almost seemed an insult to the establishment now that she was thinking of it. "Supposedly they have the best food along the coast." An opinion Jo wasn't sure she agreed with, but wasn't about to dispute.

Zachariah Binns. Despite living in London all her life she hadn't ever met anyone from his family. Perhaps because she wasn't a muggle, but such wasn't the end of the world. Muggles were useful in their own ways, after all.

"Jupiter Smith. Everyone calls me Jo, though," she said with a smile. Everyone called her Jo because she forced the nickname upon them. Her parents might've thought naming their children after the solar system was cute, but Jo found it ridiculous. And now both Earth and Mars were following suit. What a shame. "So, what brings you to the States?" Jo asked before taking the first bite of her food.

Perhaps the sailors had been correct after all.

  

"Well, sailors tend to know a thing or two." At least he thought so. He didn't travel by boat nearly as often as Jo did, so he tended to rely on the advice of who he considered to be experts in their field of work. Only once had he been led astray in Madagascar and was promptly relieved of his purse. The good thing was he hadn't been carrying much in way of money as most of his funds remained in his luggage. Zach had also only had wizard currency in said purse.

Smith. He knew of a Smith from school who was two years his junior. Sun...Moon...his first name eluded him. It had also been of some sort of celestial nature, but Smith was such a common surname that he didn't think there was likely to be a connection. It had been some time since he'd lived in London.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Jo Smith."

He paused a moment to order one of the heavenly smelling meat pies that a gentleman at the table closest to them feasted upon, as well as a bit of whiskey. Zach was very fond of comfort foods, as well as local cuisines. He just didn't always remember to eat when he was busy at work in Hogsmeade. His mother would likely be proud that he ate acceptable sized portions while abroad.

"Business." He paused and then decided to clarify. "I occasionally travel in order to acquire unique books and research to be published." Zach knew it likely sounded stuffy and boring, but he found it exhilarating. The acquisition of new knowledge, exploration of new places, and rare findings were some of the things that made him the happiest.

"If this is just a stopover, where is it you are headed, Miss Smith? If you don't mind me prying." He tone wasn't nosy, but curious, his eyes lit up with interest.

  

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Pretties thanks to Olive! <3

"Or three," she joked. From what she witnessed it involved skills she hadn't known to exist in order to sail across the ocean. That combined with the relative isolation of the crew made sailors the strongest sort of man. After all, how many men could spend months at sea without the company of a woman?

Books and research? He was a bit far from London to be seeking out books and research, wasn't he? Did muggles not trust the postal system as wizards did? They didn't have owls who were magically trained to deliver letters, but they had to have an equally competent system, didn't they? "Awfully far for a book," she commented with a skeptical look.

Jo then reached for her glass and took a sip of her whiskey. She could hardly wait to reach the islands and have herself a glass of local rum. The imports most pubs offered never quite lived up to the taste. Though, she supposed the same could be said of most imports.

"Not prying at all, I don't mind. I'm heading to South America for a dig...I'm an archaeologist." Venezuela would be new to her, but the region as a whole wasn't. If she couldn't be in Greece, the jungle was a decent second. "Well, junior archaeologist. I'm not yet knowledgeable enough to be left to my own devices," she laughed.

  

Zach smirked in response to her joke, though his mind didn't drift to where hers ended up.

"Yes, it is rather far. However, some of the books I seek are a bit too--" He couldn't exactly say dangerous. It was likely Jo was a muggle, and that remark would come off as odd. To them, books were just paper and binding. "Fragile for normal transport." Some of his more adventurous acquisitions were enchanted or behaved as if alive. One such novel on broomsticks had a tendency to fly. None were suited to such long journeys by owl. Any spell put upon them to keep them behaving as normal books had the the risk of wearing off. That would just result in harm to a poor bird and likely the loss of precious knowledge.

"Some of my colleagues also prefer their research not to be lost or intercepted on its way overseas." Which seemed vague enough, he supposed. Zach also highly enjoyed getting out of the bookshop and hunting around elsewhere for finds that would have been otherwise lost in the world.

Zach's eyebrows lifted with interest at the mention of her profession. It wasn't often he met a female archaeologist. "Junior or not, that is an intriguing profession. What is it you are to dig for in South America? I've heard there are many secrets to discover there." He turned to fully face her, his elbows comfortably perched on his lap, expression one of an eager school boy.

  

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Pretties thanks to Olive! <3

Her skeptical gaze only turned more intense as he spoke. Books were a front for something, but what? Jo wasn't familiar with black market dealings in England, so any guesses she had would likely fall short of the truth. "Fragile, huh?" Mr. Binns ought not to have visited Hogwarts if he thought muggle books were something to be this protective over. Jo still remembered the fear of opening one particularly nasty book in the restricted section. "Are you a distributor of sorts, then? Or just some sort of messenger?"

The dig site was set on a temple believed to have housed an ancient magical civilization, not that Jo was about to divulge such information to a muggle. The last thing she needed was the ministry chasing after her because she brole the secrecy laws. "There's a recently discovered Mayan temple," she said as she carefully considered her words. "We'll be working to study the civiilization further. Truthfully, I've not been there in some time, so I'm not able to say what they've discovered."

Jo took a bite of her meat pie, determined not to become a drunken mess in front of her stranger from home. "The temples are magnificent, though. I highly suggest visiting if you ever have the opportunity."

  

Zach noted her skeptical gaze, but he was unable to glean what it was exactly Jo thought of him and his pursuits. It didn't occur to him that she might think him to be some shady, black market dealer. That was Gibson's territory. Most heard him speak of books and then tuned out his excited rambling enough to not question his vague answers. "I own a shop. I sell books that you don't typically find in any regular London shop. I just prefer to personally acquire the more interesting ones." Which probably now sounded like he sold dirty books. Merlin. He quite enjoyed muggles, but sometimes it was difficult to have a conversation without feeling the need to be so vague and secretive.

"Ah, the Mayans!" It seemed he was at least a man of learning, which pointed to him being truthful about his interest in books. "I haven't studied them extensively, but they do crop up as a subject of interest among many of my cur--customers who find interest in their temples." He's almost said cursebreakers in his excitement. "Mayan mysticism is simply fascinating, and they have one of the most sophisticated ancient writing systems."

"I shall have to remember to schedule some time to explore them next I'm this side of the ocean. I do hope your dig goes well. Have you worked on unearthing many Mayan temples?"

It was then that his food appeared, and he dug in ravenously. It took a moment, but he fairly quickly remembered his manners and slowed his eating.

  

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Pretties thanks to Olive! <3

Definitely a black market dealer of sorts, then. If he owned a bookshop he likely had to pass whatever illegal items inside the books, which meant they had to be smalll. A money laundering operation perhaps? Or a gambling ring? Jo was relieved to have never met him before, as such dealings only brought trouble. Mr. Gibson's shop was proof enough of that. "What's the name of your shop, then?" She asked, mainly as an effort to know which shop to avoid when home.

His slip made it seem as though he was about to say cursebreaker, which made no sense whatsoever. Jo knew of all the magical bookshops in London where Mr. Binns was clearly from. And nomuggle that she'd ever met knew anything about the secrets. "I've not heard of many in London being interested in the Mayans outside school. They did have intricate writing systems, though." The slip of school could be easily explained away should he press her. Although, if he asked where she attended Jo wouldn't have the slightest clue how to answer.

Jo took another sip of her drink and frowned when all she tasted was ice. So much for that, then. "Not many, no. This will be my second. I've only been doing this for two years now."

  

"Whizzhard Books."

He didn't see sense in lying about it. Zach was more likely to slip up if he gave his shop some strange code name. If Jo was a muggle, it would be highly unlikely she would have heard of it, nor would she be able to locate it. The odds of them crossing paths again was exceedingly slim. The muggle world was much larger, in a way.

"It's a strange name, really. My predecessor was an eccentric fellow with an odd sense of humor, but I was determined to keep the name in his honor." Gregory Horton had, of course, died some four years ago, victim of The Laughing Plague. With no children of his own, he had been sure to pass on his legacy to Zach.

"My customers are from all over. They have such a wide range of interest that I'm always searching for new acquisitions!" Zach sounded proud of that fact. When Jo mentioned school, he was, of course, interested. She was not only an archaeologist, but a learned woman, and he admired that fact. "Where did you attend? Is your research backed by a particular university, or is it a more private venture?" Even muggle digs were interesting as they often contained oddities the poor souls just couldn't explain.

Zach took a large sip of his drink, nearly forgetting it was alcoholic.

  

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Pretties thanks to Olive! <3

Whizzard Books! Years had passed since Jo stepped into the shop in Hogsmeade — not since before leaving school, actually — and she certainly hadn't stopped in long enough to remember the owner's name.Could they be the one and the same? "And that's in London?" Jo asked after signaling for another glass of whiskey. "Where about?" Jo was hoping he would contradict her and say it was in Scotland, for then the truth would be immediately obvious.

But, if his shop wasn't based in Scotland, then her choice of school would make no sense. Fuck, what was she supposed to answer that with? Jo took a sip of her fresh glass of whiskey as a mean to stall time. There were no other schools in Scotland that she could think of of the top of her head. "Oh, no. It's backed by a private proprietor," she answered the latter question easily. Muggle universities would have no hand in a magic discovery, after all.

"I went to school up north in Scotland, with my siblings. Are you very familiar with schools up there?"

  

Zach took another long sip of his drink as a way to stall and decide how to answer Jo's question.  He found it was a bit easier to lie to muggles when he actually just told the truth and omitted some strictly wizard things.
"Scotland, actually."  It was a large enough place with some rather remote villages; it was unlikely she'd know of them all.

Except her next answer had him worried and a bit puzzled. A university in Northern Scotland? He didn't know of all the muggle universities, of course, but the ones he did were much more South in Glasgow and Edinburg. He supposed there was one in Aberdeen, but that wasn't quite the North either.

To cover his surprise, Zach took that moment to take another bite of the delightful meat pie. Either he was missing something or Miss Smith was lying about her schooling. Those seemed like the most logical answers since she didn't give any indication she knew of his shop. "I can't say I know of any. Is it a small University?"

  

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Pretties thanks to Olive! <3

Well, what were the odds of that? Whizzard was an odd enough name for her to be fairly confident there weren't multiple in Scotland of all places. It wasn't as though the country had many great cities, after all. What chances were there that there was a Whizzard's books in Glasgow?

"I believe I've been to your shop, Mr. Binns," Jo replied in a carefully low tone. "On the monthly weekend trips to the nearby village from my school." She was taking a huge risk in broaching this topic with him, but Jo was confident he was at the very least a squib. "Tell me, does Honeydukes mean anything to you?"

Merlin, she hoped she was right.

  

So, she wasn't a muggle. That certainly changed things.

"Have you now? I don't believe I recognize you, but, if you've been traveling, I imagine it's been some time." He usually had a knack for remembering customers, but if it had been years ago, it was likely she looked a bit different. He couldn't guess how old Jo actually was, just that she was definitely younger than he was.

Zach took a small glance around to be sure nobody was eavesdropping, not that they would understand. "Yes, I am acquainted with Mr. Honeyduke." Their shops weren't far from one another by any means. They also attended school together for a few years, though he was a bit younger.

"What house were you in?" He questioned, a little more intrigued. What were the chances he would meet a witch in a random establishment such as this?

  

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Pretties thanks to Olive! <3

"It's been a bit over two years since I was last in Hogsmeade," she said in her continued low voice. Confessing to graduating only a couple of years ago made her sound like a child, with any luck he wouldn't press further than that. And if he did, well she could always lie. It wasn't as though he would return to England to boast about meeting some unchaperoned female in the States.

She smirked at his question. The brave house of Gryffindornhad always seemed the obvious choice for her, so much so that the Sorting Hat barely touched her head before announcing its choice. Slytherin was her second choice, though after Mars was sorted there it felt less fitting. "How about I let you guess?" She suggested with a slightly flirty undertone. "If you guess correctly on the first try I'll buy our next round of drinks."